Highline School District swears in Dr. Damaris Espinosa and Blaine Holling to board

Dr. Damaris Espinosa and Blaine Holling were sworn in as directors for Districts 4 and 5 of the Highline School District in a public ceremony where Judge Galvan administered the oath and the new directors signed documents to be filed with King County.

The board said it chose the directors from a strong pool of nominees. "We had a number of incredibly strong candidates who either applied or were nominated for the open director positions for District 4 and 5," the board representative said, noting the decision followed "a lot of thoughtful discussions and considerations." The vice president and the superintendent joined the ceremony and photographs followed the oath.

Dr. Damaris Espinosa, director for District 4, acknowledged the district's Indigenous histories at the start of her remarks. "I just wanna say thank you to the original, people and keepers of these lands, the Duwamish, the Coast Salish, and all our relations," Espinosa said. She described herself as a product of community support and pledged to "honor my responsibility and my commitment to this community." District 4 schools named during the ceremony included Bow Lake, Chinook Middle School, Choice Academy, Highland Virtual Academy, Moderna Elementary, Maritime High School, Mar Vista Elementary, North Hill Elementary, Tyee and Valley View Early Learning.

Blaine Holling, sworn in for District 5, thanked his family and said he looked forward to collaborative work. "I'm very grateful and honored and privileged to work for the community with everyone involved," Holling said. The District 5 schools named by the emcee included Des Moines Elementary, Midway Elementary, Mount Rainier High School, Pacific Middle School and Parkside.

Judge Galvan led each director through the oath of office; the oath language included a commitment to perform the duties of director and to "support and maintain the Constitution of the State of Washington and the United States." The district representative said the oath would be on file in King County records after the new directors signed.

Members of the public offered brief remarks of thanks following the swearing-in. One community member addressed the new directors directly, saying, "I just wanted to say thank you for stepping up," and praising the directors' willingness to serve families and children. After photos and brief remarks, the event moved to informal mingling before the meeting adjourned for the evening.

No formal vote was recorded during the ceremony; the public record shows the directors affirmed their oaths and signed the required documents on site.